Whose Side is Mr. Smith on?

Hiring Mr. Smith was a mistake. I was charged with filing a false police report pertaining to a domestic dispute with my brother. During the first session, he was emphatic about how the police were probably lying, and he seemed to have a strategy in place. As the case proceeded, he started to assign blame to me; he accused me of changing my story, and showed a lack of empathy (and none of the facts changed). It's as if after the retainer, his zeal for the case just disappeared over night.

He was late to court, and he struck a poor plea bargain with prosecutors. The charge was amended to another Class 1 misdemeanor, and I got community service, and an arrest record that now cannot be expunged. At the day of trial, he said he thought he could win the case, but then qualified that by saying that "they really don't like you." He also acted as if the case didn't matter at all to him--he told me "it is your life." I began questioning whether he was on my side, or their side. Of course, instilling that type of fear in me compelled me to just reach a plea agreement, when in hindsight, this case should have gone to trial.

And the prosecution had no evidence, and I have a spotless criminal record. Hire a lawyer that is willing to fight for you if you think the charges are without merit. There is too much at stake to hire someone that just wants to scare you into reaching a plea agreement with a zealous county prosecutor.

I endorse this lawyer, having had the pleasure of knowing him for nearly 15 years. Ron Smith is a courthouse legend. He knows that law better than most lawyers, and is a lifelong student of American jurisprudence. Ron is a rare lawyer who studies the law not only for his job, but also because he is personally interested in it and enjoys discussing it on the highest intellectual level. He has an unsurpassed amount of instutional knowledge (how the courthouse runs, special programs for clients, tendencies of judges and prosecutors, etc.).
Ron is very direct- unlike some lesser lawyers, Ron's manner is not to coddle and fret about appeasing feelings. Instead, he honestly lays out pertinent facts, issues, and arguments. Because he tells people what they NEED to hear (not what they want to hear), and given his 30+ YEARS experience fighting in the courtroom for his clients, Ron Smith is an attorney I would recommend to anyone.